Birds Run off the Coast

[MudDucker]

My bud went last Sunday and saw thousands upon thousands of birds on the gulf coast. We were down on Friday and we saw half of the number he saw. He insisted on sitting up with my prodigy out on a sandbar where they were rafting. I told him this was an area for either standing on the sandbar out of the boat or a layout boat. The raft moved 1/2 a mile away and very few came within shooting distance. Most of those were run up. We ended up with only 2 redheads and a buffy. Young guys were harassing the birds. While we were eating some good seafood Friday night, a bud calls Ben. They had been in the same area with a guide and allegedly 4 of them killed 30 redheads while the guide ran the birds up. Said the game warden checked them and only found enough birds to write them up for 2 over. Saturday morning we got to the ramp and it was a goat herding with all the boats. An old bearded fart broke line in front of us and could not back his piece of crap boat down the ramp. He was bitching and moaning about headlights in his eyes. I got out, told him to hush his bitching and helped him back down. He said something else and I said, listen man, you have no room to talk. You broke line. He said he was ready first, which was a lie. He then nearly hit my truck to get the last good parking space. Every decent place we scouted Friday was already covered up. Only one area did much shooting. We got skunked. Again, a lot fewer boats and many boats running birds. Saturday afternoon we drove over to Apalachicola and for the first time ever, we saw zero birds there. I mean not even the first bird. Drove back to where we hunted in the AM to do a quick set and hunt. Didn't fire a shot. Only heard 12-14 shots. A group of kids in boats ran out to the sandbar and less than 50 birds got up. That is where there were thousands and thousands the prior Sunday. I think those birds got shot all week and the pressure moved them out. Such is public duck hunting.

[bman]

Sounds about right.... If the Feds or FWC would set a guy out on the bar in a boat with a spotting scope he could write tickets all day.
Running ducks, shooting over the limit...
So frustrating.

[silverking]

Talked to some hunters Saturday morning after I failed to find any frozen redfish. A friend limited out but the other group only scored one bufflehead.

Saw some decent groups of mixed ducks last week in the eastern part of the refuge but no rafts of thousands of birds in the backcountry. Sounds like it's finally cold enough up north to drive more down. Maybe they'll get here before the season closes for y'all.

[hookedonred]

I think I speak for all duck hunters on this forum that we would appreciate you disclosing this so called "guide service" bc I would like to personally call and verify his licensing... ie captain license, insurance etc...Its one thing for youths to be out there acting a fool but to hear of a professional acting like this is absurd. And hopefully that guide is a member of this forum and reads this post...

[Salty Gator]

I think I speak for all duck hunters on this forum that we would appreciate you disclosing this so called "guide service" bc I would like to personally call and verify his licensing... ie captain license, insurance etc...Its one thing for youths to be out there acting a fool but to hear of a professional acting like this is absurd. And hopefully that guide is a member of this forum and reads this post...

Well said

[bman]

I can tell you some LEOs have already read this thread...

[MudDucker]

I don't know the guides name, but a friend read the thread on another site and called me. He was in the group with the guide. Turns out the guy who reported the # killed was exaggerating. They were two over, because one guy left and two birds got lost under the decoys in the boat. The GW found those birds and wrote a ticket. The guide had some trouble and had to run back to the hill and that is when he unintentionally kicked up the birds. Seems the guy telling the story wanted to tell an interesting story rather than a truthful story. That is why I never name names, even when I hear names.

[hookedonred]

I have seen multiple posts on this forum that tell truthful stories, not realizing they broke the law/tournament rules/or under estimated the scrutiny they would receive and then recant on the events or what actually happened...just saying, either way I hope the LEO's read this and are aware now...

[RCS]

FWC is spread few and far between, and the outlaws know it. I'm back in MS for the semester, but in the cumulative 4 weeks that I was home hunting (Thanksgiving and Christmas), I saw FWC on Miccosukee only twice. There were several mornings where I was the last to leave, and several evenings when I was the first, so I may have just missed them. Birds were there in decent numbers for a few weeks, and hopefully the cold brings down some more, but they won't stick around if the amount of shooting before and after LST persists. I wish FWC had more of a presence on that lake throughout the season, but when the same guys assigned to patrol it are busy being called to dispatch roadkill down in Wakulla (they can't help that, that's just how thin they're spread), it severely hinders their ability to do their jobs effectively.

I've heard horror stories about the coast, particularly this year with the hunting on inland lakes being so slow. I've hunted it, but always in less popular areas.